Doctorate recipient skips Governor RN Ravi; receives degree from VC at MS University convocation

NEW DELHI: A woman recipient of a doctorate boycotted Governor R N Ravi in the convocation ceremony held here on Wednesday by Manonmaniam Sundaranar University. While varsity top officials, including Vice Chancellor N Chandrasekar, stood near the Governor on the dais, recipients of degrees arrived on the dais one by one and they gave their certificates to Ravi, posed for photographs and received the degree from him.

However, a recipient of a doctorate , who later identified herself as Jean Rajan walked past Ravi, gave her degree to Chandrasekar and received it from him. Governor Ravi, even before Rajan moved away from him, gestured her to stand beside him and take her degree. However, she apparently ignored the gesture. Speaking to reporters, Rajan demanded to know what the governor has done for the state. She said it was her degree, and it was hence, her choice to decide from whom she should receive it.

Recipient refuses degree from governor

She alleged the Governor worked against "Tamil and Tamil Nadu", and it was annoying and hence, she did not wish to receive her degree from him. Though the VC told her on the dais to receive her degree from the Governor, she was not inclined to do that. Jean Rajan said she worked for a company in Nagercoil as a senior manager. She said she believed in the "Dravidian model" and her decision was based on that. Reportedly, Jean Rajan’s husband is an office-bearer of the ruling DMK in Nagercoil town. Varsity officials, including Registrar J Sacratees took part in the function.

Reacting, BJP leader K Annamalai strongly condemned the use of educational institutions by "DMK persons" for staging "cheap dramas" in order to gain influence within the party. Chief Minister M K Stalin should advise his party persons not to bring up politics in the centres of education. Tamil Nadu BJP leader Narayanan Tirupathy also condemned the "cheap politics" of the DMK's Dravidian model and demanded that the doctorate recipient apologise for her behaviour.